Back home, Taiichi reviewed the mission details.
Mission: Goods Escort
Content: Masao Ishihara of the Ishihara family in the Land of Rivers has purchased 1,000 tons of grain from the Land of Fire. A Genin team is required to escort the goods safely to Kanematsu City in the Land of Rivers. The entourage includes 60 drivers and 45 guards.
Rank: C-Rank
Requirement: Assemble and depart at 8:00 AM on May 23, Konoha Year 44. Safely deliver the goods—1,000 tons of rice—to the destination within 9 days.
Reward: 50,000 Ryo
Based on the mission description, although the quantity of goods was large, the value per ton wasn't particularly high. Theoretically, there shouldn't be any intense battles. So, Taiichi prepared his equipment according to standard mission protocols, but to be safe against unforeseen circumstances, he packed double the supplies.
Looking at the supplies on the table: six kunai, twenty shuriken, a roll of wire, five explosive tags, a bottle of wound medicine, a bottle of antidote pills, three rolls of bandages, and a bottle of food pills.
Taiichi looked at the supplies and thought for a moment. Perhaps he was too nervous about his first mission outside the village, but he couldn't shake the feeling of unease. So, he prepared another set of the same supplies and sealed them into a storage scroll along with his prepared change of clothes.
Thanks to his recent earnings, he had bought plenty of supplies and storage scrolls, allowing him to be this prepared.
He placed the supplies on the table and the storage scroll into the most accessible spots in his ninja tool pouch one by one. With that, the preparation for tomorrow's mission was complete.
By the time he finished, it was noon. Taiichi cooked lunch for himself, ate, and then went out to train.
There were no missions this afternoon, so he planned to finish training early and rest. Although it was just a C-rank escort mission, it required leaving the village for a considerable time. Maintaining sufficient stamina and Chakra was necessary.
...
The next day, 7:45 AM, Konoha Village Gate.
Even early in the morning, crowds were already moving in and out of the gate. The most conspicuous sight was the convoy lined up outside.
It was a massive convoy consisting of over fifty carriages, forming a long line by the road. A rough count showed over forty guards flanking the carriages alone.
It made sense. A single Genin team couldn't cover the front and rear of such a long convoy. Under normal circumstances, their team probably served mostly as a deterrent.
"Taiichi! Over here! Over here!"
Taiichi withdrew his gaze from the convoy and turned to see Yohei and Saori calling him. As he got closer, he noticed they both looked tired. "What's wrong? Insomnia last night?"
"Sigh, don't mention it. I was excited all night and only slept a little just before dawn," Yohei said gloomily.
"Same here," Saori admitted sheepishly.
"Haha, you'll get used to it. After doing more missions like this, you won't feel that way anymore," Taiichi comforted them with a smile.
"Everyone's here! Come with me to meet the client," Captain Yamaguchi ordered, appearing silently beside them, then leading the way out of the village.
At the gate, he handed the prepared mission certificate and exit permit to the gatekeeper ninja for inspection. Once all procedures were complete, they walked out.
"Remember, ninjas need to report when leaving the village. For missions, you must provide the mission certificate and exit permit. Otherwise, leaving without permission can be considered defection if the circumstances are serious," Captain Yamaguchi instructed the three as they walked.
Arriving beside the convoy, three people walked toward them—two adults and a child. The leader was the client for this mission, Masao Ishihara, accompanied by a beautiful woman holding a little boy's hand.
"Mr. Ishihara, may I ask who these two are? They don't seem to be listed in the mission brief," Masasuke Yamaguchi frowned and asked immediately. This was something no ninja wanted to encounter—discrepancies between reality and the mission description.
"They are my wife and child. They came along to see the world. There shouldn't be any problem, right?" Masao Ishihara said a bit nervously.
"You should have stated this in the mission request. That way, we could have prepared better," Captain Yamaguchi said seriously.
"I am truly sorry. I will definitely pay attention next time," Masao Ishihara apologized sincerely.
Captain Yamaguchi nodded and didn't say more. Checking the time, he said, "Mr. Ishihara, I'll take my team to inspect the convoy first, then we can depart."
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Captain Yamaguchi," Ishihara replied politely.
Taiichi and the others followed Captain Yamaguchi around the convoy, familiarizing themselves with every member of the team and listening to the captain's constant advice.
"Before an escort mission departs, you must familiarize yourself with all accompanying personnel as much as possible. This minimizes errors during the mission. Otherwise, if an enemy uses the Transformation Jutsu to sneak in, you won't even know..."
The three listened quietly. This was the lifelong experience of a Jonin, knowledge that could save their lives. While listening and practicing, they all felt they gained a lot.
Once the inspection was over, the convoy officially set off. The already long line of carriages stretched out even further, making it impossible to see from end to end clearly.
"Taiichi, Yohei, you two take the front and rear, keeping a distance of 100 meters from the convoy. Saori and I will stay in the middle to provide support," Captain Yamaguchi ordered.
"Yes!" Taiichi and Yohei didn't hesitate, immediately moving to their positions.
Arriving at the front of the convoy, Taiichi sat on top of a carriage, gazing into the distance. The gates of Konoha receded behind him, and the trees on both sides gradually became denser. This was Taiichi's first time traveling far from home, and he was curious about everything.
But Taiichi didn't forget his duty. He expanded his sensory perception, remaining vigilant of his surroundings.
Slowly, as time passed, the monotonous scenery occupied Taiichi's mind. Even interesting things became boring after looking at them for too long. Not to mention having to maintain vigilance the whole time.
I wonder how Yohei is doing. He must be bored alone at the back, Taiichi thought.
What Taiichi didn't know was that Yohei was currently chatting and laughing happily with the surrounding guards and drivers. It was just too far for Taiichi to hear.
By afternoon, Taiichi couldn't take it anymore. He used the Shadow Clone Jutsu, finally liberating himself from the boring vigilance duty. Under the resentful gaze of his Shadow Clone, he began practicing Nature Transformation on his own.
A small whirlwind circled in his hand, sometimes clear, sometimes violent, making the surrounding guards exclaim in wonder. So this was a ninja.
At night, they set up camp. All the carriages were arranged in a large circle, protecting everyone inside.
By the campfire, Yohei excitedly recounted the interesting stories he had heard from the guards today. Only then did Taiichi realize he was the only fool who had silently kept watch all day.
Captain Yamaguchi and Saori listened to Yohei's stories with interest. Once Yohei finished, Taiichi interjected, "Captain, is this going to be the arrangement for the whole journey?" Implying that this seemed too simple and boring.
"We are currently within the Land of Fire, so there aren't many problems. Once we enter the Land of Rivers later, you'll need to stay sharp," the captain warned. "The Land of Rivers isn't as stable as our country; there are quite a few bandits there."
Taiichi nodded thoughtfully. It seemed the main part of the mission would be in the second half of the journey.
Just then, Masao Ishihara brought his wife and son over to them. "Captain Yamaguchi, thank you for the escort. Tonight is the first night and relatively safe, so everyone relax a bit." He gestured toward the other side, where guards and drivers were singing and dancing around a campfire.
Yohei was tempted. He looked at the captain, and seeing no objection, he went over to play with everyone.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Ishihara took her son's hand and sat next to Saori, whispering to her.
Taiichi exchanged a glance with Yamaguchi. "Then Captain, I'll go take the first watch. You guys relieve me later."
Seeing Captain Yamaguchi nod, Taiichi went to the perimeter of the convoy and began patrolling around the carriages.
There was no light pollution in the ninja world, so the night sky was densely packed with stars. A bright, clear moon hung in the sky. Who could have imagined that this massive celestial body was man-made, and sealed within it was the progenitor of Chakra in the ninja world—Kaguya Otsutsuki.
The crowd remained lively for another hour before gradually settling down. After all, they had to travel again tomorrow. Everyone went to rest, and the guards arranged their night shifts.
The night passed without incident. When Yohei came to relieve him in the early morning, Taiichi finally went to his tent to rest.